Multibeam backscatter image of Pribilof Canyon. Photo credit MCA
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has consistently acted to identify significant concentrations of deep sea corals and to protect those areas from fishery impacts. The continental slope and canyons of the Bering Sea have long been considered an important, productive area of the Bering Sea (Springer et al. 1996), and has been come to be known as the “green belt” of the Bering Sea. Although large areas of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands have been protected from the effects of FMP fisheries, none of those areas encompass the Bering Sea slope or canyon areas. This has prompted some conservation organizations to advocate for protections along the slope, particularly in Pribilof and Zhemchug canyons. The Council’s actions and the discussion papers that have been reviewed are included here.
Staff contact is Steve MacLean: 907-271-2809.
Documents and Motions
2015: October – Motion
2015: June – Report from 2014 Bering Sea Slope and Canyons survey
2014: April – Summary of public workshop and potential management measures, Motion
2013: June – AFSC Report on BS Canyons, Discussion paper on fishing activities and management in BS Canyons, Motion
